Champion of the Labyrinth
by Eventide
Summary: Sarah's defeat of Jareth left the Underground vulnerable. Now she must return to defend the world she left in ruins, and save the King whose heart she broke.  Title sucks and is subject to change. Good suggestions welcome.


The owl watched the party for a short time before lifting from the branch. His strong wings propelled him on the currents of air as he left the Williams house. If he were to admit it to himself, he had left a piece of his heart back there. But he would not have been welcomed to that joyous celebration, and staying would only exacerbate his pain.

Through a twisting of reality he returned to his court room, sailing through a window to alight on the arm of his throne. He sighed just once, feathers ruffling, but before he could transform the lights suddenly went out. He felt cloth surround him, smothering, and he fought furiously. Though try as he may he could not resume his true form.

"Stop struggling, Jareth." An icy voice broke through blackness and the Goblin King's blood ran cold.

* * *

><p>Sarah sighed in the darkness of her room. She felt content with her life at last, at least to a degree. She would never look on her step mother as real family, but she didn't have to take that out on Toby. After processing her experience in the Labyrinth, she understood the difference. In point of fact, she understood a lot of things. Life wasn't fair, but you had to make due with what you had. And sometimes the simplest mistake could turn into best decision of your life.<p>

And also you could grow up and still have your dreams. It was a comforting knowledge to have. Finally, Sarah was ready to move forward in her life. Though, she wasn't quite sure what that meant. It was evident in her room. Some of the older, less meaningful items had been boxed up for charity. More cherished items had been set aside for Toby where appropriate. And still others stayed exactly where they had been before, reminders of what she had done and the friends she had met.

So parts of her walls were bare. Blank space that could be used however she liked. But what could she fill her walls with now? That seemed to be the open ended question of her life now.

"Sarah! Sarah!"

She jolted upright as Hoggle fell over a box of toys and landed with a muted thud. She threw off her covers and went to help the dwarf up.

"Shh! Hoggle, shh!" Sarah clamped her hand over the still muttering dwarf's mouth as she saw the hall light flick on under her door. Thankfully, Hoggle took the not so subtle hint and went practically ridged in her arms.

"Sarah? Are you okay?" Her father stepped in front of the door, his feet casting twin shadows. Unlike Karen, her father never set foot into Sarah's room. They could only be too grateful for that.

"Yeah, just stubbed my toe." She willed her father to be his awkwardly indifferent self, and just go back to bed. She heard him sigh, weighing what he ought to do, and then the shadows of his feet moved away and the light went off. Sarah let out the breath she'd been holding then took her hand away from her friend's mouth. "Hoggle, what are you doing here?"

"Oh Sarah, it's just awful," he moaned in a loud whisper. "She's invaded! The whole Underground been infected with her magic. Ice and snow and monsters everywhere-"

"Who?" Sarah turned on her bedside lamp so she could look her friend in the eyes. In the soft light she could see he was rather the worse for wear. He was wet and dirty. What could have happened to him in only a few days?

"The Queen of Air and Darkness."

* * *

><p>"Lo! Madam, you have no right to this throne!" Sir Didymus stood his tallest, standing between the Winter Queen and the Goblin King's throne. He might not have approved of His Majesty putting Lady Sarah through the rigors of the Labyrinth, but that did not move his loyalty to his King. "I warn thee, turn back to whence you came or else!"<p>

The Winter Queen laughed. The sound was like breaking icicles, harsh but musical at the same time. It made both Sir Didymus' fur and Jareth's feathers stand on end. She circled the small fox, amusement clear in her purple eyes.

"Is _this_ the one you're naming as your champion, Jareth?" At the owl's emphatic head shake, Mab shrugged. "I suppose that's for the best. I do so hate to waste my time.

"But! My King! I am your most loyal knight!" Sir Didymus padded over to the iron cage that sat on the throne. "Why do you deny me the chance to defend thy kingdom?"

"Perhaps," Mab drawled. "It is because your loyalty is highly suspected. After all, you practically lead the charge against the goblin city with that mortal."

Her words struck the fox directly in the heart and his ears drooped. Yes, of course that _would_ be why the King would choose another to stand against the invading foes of the Winter Court. He had shown that his loyalty was indeed suspect.

But he could prove himself! Ears perking back up he faced the Dark Queen. "Aye, I have soiled my good name, and my King has every reason to choose another. However, madam, you deny His Majesty his given right to choose said champion. Trapped in yon form, he cannot name nor summon his chosen."

The Winter Queen inclined her head, seeming to consider the matter for a moment. "Though I do enjoy seeing you in this fashion, I grow tired of playing this guessing game with you."

She nodded to an attendant, a hollow eye frail looking young girl. The waif came forward and opened the iron cage. Immediately, the owl flew out and transformed. Jareth made a bit of a show brushing off his sleeves, masking his worry of the situation under a perfect expression of bored annoyance..

"Hogwart."

"Sire?" Hoggle came out of the corner where he'd been hiding. He didn't dare correct the Goblin King on his name. Any show of weakness or descent would be like blood to circling sharks.

Jareth produced a crystal and tossed it haphazardly toward the dwarf, who, surprisingly, caught it. "Go and fetch my champion."

"You have five days." Mab intoned imperiously.

* * *

><p>The crystal faded into transparency once more. The scene was disturbing to say the least. The Goblin City invaded and Jareth a prisoner. Sarah could barely believe it. The Goblin King had always seemed so omnipotent. He'd only lost to her because Sarah had found the loophole in the challenge he'd put before her.<p>

But one thing stood out.

"Why did you come to me, Hoggle?"

"Sarah, don' you know?" He sighed when she only gave him a steady stare. "Whoever defeats the Labyrinth is its champion. Ain't no one before now has ever beaten, Jareth. So uh, I gotta take ya back or Mab'll take over the Underground."

"How am I supposed to stop her, Hoggle?" Sarah ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "I barely managed to make it through the Labyrinth the first time. And now it's apparently full of monsters. Can I even make it there in five days?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell ya," the dwarf ducked his head in embarrassment. "Afore Mab could cut off Jareth's powers again, he did you a favor."

"Which is?"

"He altered time again. Seein' as how he couldn't trust that Mab'd let me get out of the Labyrinth in time - but Hoggle knows his tricks, even with those fiends she's got runnin' round the place now and -"

"Hoggle!"

"Sorry. You got five days over there. But over here it's five years. Well, minus a few months. It did take me a bit to get out of there."

Five years? Well, it was a place to start. And infinitely better than only a few days. She was going to have to worry about filling the space on her walls some other time. Her friends were in trouble.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: I should so be working on Becoming, but I had to put this out. It's been swirling in my head for ages. So please review. I already feel that the second half was rushed but this is just the lead in. I hope you enjoyed.


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